@ $85 dollars more for the Sire you get; rolled neck edges, a harder, less subject to dents & dings, alder body, a more stable roasted maple neck, a higher grade of tuner and last an arguably better set of pickups. I know where my money would go if I didn't already have a Fender MIM Jazz & a Sire M7 among my current collection.
What we can’t get from your post is the feel of the instrument. Come on Lobsta you got fix this. 😊 Having tried both, Sire all the way. Thanks for another interesting post. 🎉
Honestly, I thought the difference would be bigger, but overall the Sire has a slightly fuller tone while the Squier sounds a bit "tinny" in comparison. It was evident mainly while slapping. I'd take the Sire please :-)
Who started Sire guitars? founder Kyle Kim, and they are made in Indonesia. Did you know: Sire founder Kyle Kim started building his own instruments with friends in the '90s when they grew frustrated with rising prices. When these instruments turned out better than expected, Kim started exploring the global market.When did sire guitars start? Sire was started by a group of friends in Korea in the late '90s. They had grown frustrated with rising instrument prices, so they decided to make their own. They worked extremely hard until they were happy with the result - and in fact, it all turned out better than expected.
Alder and poplar are both basically firewood. Good sounding firewood usually, but too much can be made of the difference. Usually by people who think they can tell the difference between Duracell and Energiser batteries in their pedals.
I have a 60's CV Jazz and I love it. Daphne blue with a tort guard, it's a beauty. Btw, I would love to see you review some more Schecter basses, like the J-4 or the Stiletto Studio line
Excellent shootout! To me, the differences in sound is quite marginal for fingerstyle and with a pick, but still it feels like the Sire has a more balanced and nuanced tone, while the Squier has a bit more open and clear tone, but not the same punch and bite. When slapped, I feel that those differencies become more evident and I clearly prefer the sound of the SIre.
I have a pretty trained ear and I really don't hear too much of a difference. The difference could just be all in the pickups. It's like trying to tell two pieces of pastrami apart. Thanks for the upload, Lobster!
What speakers do you use? I hear much deeper lows and overall clarity on Sire. But I can imagine it's not audible on some speakers / headphones, I think you'd hear difference on that Ampeg amp :) But overall I agree the tone character is similar.
I will contend the Sire sounded a tad better but I think a little amp adjustment could rectify the minor difference. This never seems to get addressed.
I thought exactly the same thing. For the CV, adding some more gain plus high mids and may be a "trace" of more highs at the amp and the sound should be the same.
Maybe the amp could be adjusted, yes, but to adjust the amp to the sound of the basses compromises the “this is how each bass sounds compared to each other through the same signal chain” video approach for all Lobster’s videos that is so valuable. If he was specifically demoing the AMP, your approach of making basses sound “the same” has some merit in demonstrating the flexibility of that amp’s eq section.
Exactly. My goal isn't to make every bass sound great, but to test them in a static environment so we can evaluate the merits of the instrument itself. Level playing field!
Whether live or in the studio, it’s always best to have a bass that sounds great straight into a D.I. Then straight to the board, because those circumstances do occur.
Another plus about Sire: If you ever want to play without the pick guard on, it doesn’t have all the routed out channels and the horrible C&C “ashtray” gouged out of the body like most Squires do.
I’m glad you did this I’ve been trying not to buy a J bass, been looking at all kinds of options including these, also with the sire I love the string through option, but I love the vintage squire,
Exactly. You'd spend more than $85 updating what you could and still not beat stock specs on the Sire. The rolled edges make stuck a HUGE difference in playability and comfort.
Hi lobster, I dig all your reviews absolutely! I would be very interested to watch sometimes reviews on some "less well known"/"underrated" brands like Dean, Godin (please have a look on the specs of the new RG-4 Ultra Carbon White RN....), Schecter (the CV-4 !), ESP, Cort etc. Even Yamaha could be put in this category (yeah, I watched Johnny Dibble's vid on the "underrated" basses !).
Sire is easily a better instrument overall but as an owner of 2 CV basses (jazz and p) I can honestly say that these basses have... well, a certain vibe. Both had some neck issues, but after some time it seems that the wood dried a bit and they became more stabile. Squier quality control definatley has taken a dive in recent years, but it's still good value for money. Great review as always, Lobster :)
Sire basses have issues mainly neck issues! Had two v9 basses both had the same problem. I 've even seen other used sires with the same issues,that was about four years ago i hope they got their shit together! And oh Both had problems with staying in tune.
I seriously considered buying a Sire a few years ago, and to honest I couldn’t get past the headstock. Every time I see one it reminds me of Bullwinkle the Moose. 😂 But I foolishly sold my MIM Fender Jazz Bass about four years ago, and have been wanting to replace it recently. I’ve played some Player series instruments that are just perfect, but in my opinion the recent price increases have rendered them as just too expensive for what you get. The Sire headstock has begun to grow on me a little since I’ve been seeing more of them in the wild recently. Even Marcus himself has been performing with them! Besides, who doesn’t love Bullwinkle? UPDATE: six months down the road, I now own a fretless V7. I installed some lightweight Gotoh tuners, copper foil shielded it, and it's great!
Both sound good and honestly I could not hear a difference when pickups were soloed. Finger style with both pickups on is the only time I liked the tone of the Sire more than the Squire but when slapped in the same setting I liked the Squire better. The Sire pickups seem to be a little hotter than the Squire making for more mids and too much string noise when slapped. I feel if I had to pick one I would probably go Sire though. Just seems a little more premium and modernized over the same old fender who are scared to change.
Neck pup slightly more oomph on the Sire but as other posters commented, this could be nullified by amp setting, I think it's down to the individual bass in your hands.
Biggest concern here seems to be the instability of the neck. The sire sounded fuller, but pickups can be replaced. An unstable neck, however , is a much bigger problem.
I just started playing the bass and I bought a Squire 40th Anniversary P Bass in March of this year. Although it is in my climate controlled “studio”, already I have had to adjust the neck three times. Great sounding bass but I don’t want to be constantly adjusting the neck.😢
Hands down...the Squier sounded better in every aspect, in every pickup variation. The Squier to me, just more clean, tighter, punchier with a more noticeable output. I would take the Squier...in a hot second! Just saying 🤷🏽♂️
At 10:04 where the slapping demo begins, for me the Sire is just a joy to listen to, with that growly throaty tone, and the Squier is really ho hum. I think the Sire's depth of tone exceeds the Squier in almost every aspect of the demo. There are places where I'd have turned the Squier volume (or amp volume) up slightly to equalize the signals. (Any slightly louder signal will sound "better", so a lower-output pickup or relatively lower pickup height adjustment may not be competitive.) Incidentally, the most awesome feeling bass I have is the Sire P5. The neck is very large in comparison to other basses, wider, but it is so smooth it's amazing. The roasted neck is a stunningly beautiful thing! I do love playing my Squier CV 70's P Bass, no issues whatsoever with build quality and stability. But... I did have the Plek treatment done to the new CV bass, so I am experiencing a non-stock version in that regard. The Sire, from the box, is lovely without any special treatment.
I think the Squier is easier when it comes to modding especially when it comes to the bridge and tuners and the price difference mean that's 85 bucks you can use on something else
Have squier late50s p, 60s j and 70s j CV basses, none has abnormal problems on the neck, wood moves in time and it's normal, only big problem I had was a broken tuner on the 70s, that was really disappointing at zero hour usage. F
@@TheMlvswollMine is fine. I did make a setup. If it may have slightly changed then to the better. There action is very good. I considered changing the pickups but the measurement told me that standard Fender sized ones do not fit as there is 1 mm less space than needed. Routing is currently no option for me-
Fantastic video as always!! Both are great basses, both sound great in a live setting. I really think it’s the players preference. I think they should have called the Sire a V4 it’s kinda miss leading with the V5 There’s. Only one thing missing…….oh yeah….The Beard 😎 Thanks brother for your video review as always!!!
I like your videos a lot and always enjoy it when a new one pops up. One thing that never seems to get mentioned on these shootout videos is if both basses have the same strings. To make it fair, they both should. These obviously both had roundwounds on them, but nickel?? Stainless steel?? Who knows? And what brand? Not all brands of strings are created equal. Two different brands on these strings might have accounted for the slight differences in tone. Or the same brand on both could make the tone differences even more noticeable. Just a thought...
Interesting comparison. I agree with you that perhaps the Squier has more of a vintage sound. Certainly to my ears, the pickups sound 'warmer'. I own a V5 and I'm going to change the pickups for something more vintage-sounding. I think the Sire stock pickups are great but when you hear them alongside the Squier - well, it's a subjective thing. I suppose that's the nature of the 'Marcus Miller/Sire' beast. Obviously, the MM sound is 'active' but personally, I would've liked Sire to have included a set of pickups reflecting the more vintage nature of their V5 but nonetheless, I'm still very much a fan of the V5 - a great platform for modding. Thanks for the review LowEndLobster.
I agree with you, to my ears the sire sounds fuller and punchier than the squier. But still sounds pretty vintage. Thank you for this great comparison. ;-)
To my ears, the Squire sounds a bit more like an actual Fender 70's Jazz Bass. Mind you the type of music I've always listened to has been played either fingerstyle or with a pick such as John Paul Jones. Both basses sound great!! I have tried both basses at GC and the Sire by far is more comfortable. Hands down LowEnd Lobster's bass guitar reviews are the best I have come across. He has the ability to give highly informative reviews I usually only get with Intellectual types yet makes them enjoyable to watch. A good combination of a high IQ and equally high EQ.
My Squire CV 70's jazz bass (bought about three years ago) has a bone nut and the specs at the Fender site still has this bass listed as having a bone nut.
@@TheMlvswoll i think this: Sire V5 or P5 >>>>>>> Squier Vibe Sire V5 or P5 >>>>>>> Player Series Sire V5 or P5 ======= Player Plus But Player Plus ($1200) !! Sire Wins Totally
Unfortunately, there is no equivalent in the Player series. Fender's cheapest 70's style Jazz Bass on the market right now is a MIM Geddy Lee bass. There is also the Vintera 70's model. However, those basses come with a Pau Ferro fingerboard only.
Sire wins. More bass in the tone. The Squire was a bit thin. I love Sire, I have a bunch. Great gig basses. And if something bad happens to it it’s not crazy expensive to replace or fix
The Sire rolled fretboard edges make a huge difference in feel between it and the Squier. I compared several models of both and nothing beat the comfort of the Sire. But I came from guitar, so it was a huge selling point for me.
I was waiting for this comment. I have a v5R and a Jazz Standard. I love both but I’ve only adjusted the sire neck with initial setup and the comfort once you play it a bit is pretty damn nice. I won’t say the whole for the price bit as it’s just a plain good bass that’s feels great to play at any price. May go the gotoh route with tuners but other than that she’s sweet. I too have owned some recent cv with neck issues. I love the daphne blue but might have addressed that urge with my new MIJ Maui blue Pbass.
Biggest tone difference was with the main use case - both pickups. Either pup solo'd sounded surprisingly similar to me. The neck shift is a significant difference, as is the OPE (overall playing experience) rating. For my money it's the Sire. Great combination of modern updates and traditional soul.
Does it make sense to conceptualize the roasted neck as being better dried out in the roasting process, and maybe the Squier neck has greener wood? I would be curious as to how different manufacturers deal with curing their wood before manufacturing. I recently got a different bass with a roasted neck and the neck has stayed relatively straight despite severe environmental changes where I am.
I think the roasting trend is addressing the issue that these Squires have. I think the wood they're using is too young, and doesn't have the stability unless you roast and get all the moisture out
Interesting. I'd love to see a time-lapse video of a new roasted and a a new unroasted neck side by side, truss rod completely disengaged. See what happens. Science! @@LowEndLobster
Where did sire come from? sire (n.) c. 1200, a title placed before a name and denoting knighthood, from Old French sire "lord (appellation), sire, my lord," from Vulgar Latin *seior, from Latin senior "older, elder" (from PIE root *sen- "old").
It's funny that you mention that. Khyle Kim, the founder of Sire, had another brand that was exclusive to Korea called "Dame" which is still around. Similar to Sire in many ways but they also use some boutique components. Neat stuff
He also got Marcus Miller to put his name on the bass that caused lots of interest and excitement in the bass community. I bought one and am trying to buy a U5 but long backordered
The difference in materials alone (alder, roasted maple, bone nut) more than justifies the $85 price difference. Soundwise, with tone fully closed there is no noticeable difference between the two. With the tone fully open, Sire obviously has somewhat "richer" sound and higher output.
I think for that price you could probably get a mexican fender on sale if you're lucky I got like 40% off on my player jazz last year during holiday season, put a hipshot badass on it wanna do lightweight tuners and drop d switch eventually and find a preamp for it
I don’t get the hate for Squier I’ve got the 70s and I think it’s great.. it also looks waaaay better .. my other guitars are high end and it keeps up.
I low key wish he put the EMG jack in the stock position and setup a separate tone control or something lol. I know he's not a weirdo modder like me so not throwing any shade.
@@LowEndLobster I've got to say that I wasn't convinced about the EMG J set until I listened to Anthony's recording. I think I will install the Robert Trujillo's EMG in one of my Jazz Basses. Those are the same pickups as EMG J set but with metal "edge-less" pickup covers :D
The Sire seemed to have more output, and what I can only describe as a broader depth of tone than the Squier. Maybe that’s down to the Alder body of the Sire?
I think, the Sire lacks a bit of mid-freq (I dont know which of them). It's obvious when the tone is rolled off and you compare with the Squier or the Sire with Rosewood fretboard in the older comparison video. The Sire Its a super-beautiful instrument, but its pickups and/or electronics are like pre-eq for a good slap sound when tone is open. You touch the tone control and get too dark. In my opinion, of course.
Sire bridge pickup is killing the Squier IMO, even without the preamp they deliver the goods. Sounds like the Squier isn't fully rolling off treble with tone all the way back as well.
Boy there's only a nickels worth of difference. To my ears the Sire sounded a little sharper and cleaner the Squier just a little more muddy. Probably a good EQ pedal would change that. I would go for which one looks best.........SIRE
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Hi Lobster, thanks for another great video. In my opinion the Sire is much better than the Squier. The price difference is worth it. Think about it, do you want to play a bad but cheaper bass, or a really good instrument that's a little bit expensive? I think Sire is sometimes much better than Mexican Fender. I am disappointed with the sound of the Squier. Shame on Fender. By the way, I own both a Squier and a Sire, and I can truly confirm that the Sire sounds absolutely great.
I can't hear much difference between them. Even through a decent sound system. They both sound like jazz basses. It's not a sound that I'm particularly found of, so some there may be some bias at play here.
Squire for me folks. Comparing it to the sire is like comparing a conversation with two different friends, The Sire sounds a bit more garrish, loud, brash and a bit too bright. On the other hand the Squire is a more subdued but intimate sound, like if Barry White were to whisper some trade secrets to you in a semi crowded room - you'd have to lean in a little to hear him but his voice would draw you in and be well worth it. JMHO.
The headstock thing with sire is overstated. I agree the Fender looks better but after a few plays I don’t even notice the headstock anymore, I just play it.
All these reviews are subjective, most people buy their favourite brand and knock anybody who buys something different. You can watch all the you videos you like but, it's not until it's actually in your hands that you know for sure. Too many variables, did you get a Friday afternoon Squier, a Monday morning Sire or vice versa. Brand bias is a valuable marketing tool. I would suggest getting your hands on them and giving each one a go. I personally watch some reviews but, sorry lobster, Darrel Braun guitars does the deep dive. Still wouldn't necessarily buy on his opinion but, we all have our favourites!
Sire has more bottom end "balls" Fender has a good mid but no sack. I sent 2 jazz basses back in one month last April, turned 50 and "spoiled" myself. A Geddy Lee MIM and a Jazz Top MIM...both garbage, I damn near cried when I pulled the GL bass out of the box, so disappointed. The Sire is a helluva bass, Fender needs to up their QC. I'll be hemming and hawing between the V5 and the Stingray 34. Decisions, decisions.
Is the sire mom or dad? A sire is an animal's father. A newborn foal might look very much like his sire, with a white stripe on his brown face. Every once in a while, the word sire is used for a human - your dad is your sire - but it's much more common to find this word describing an animal's male parent.
I agree ... that's the only downside ... i own 3 v7 and 1 v10... Maybe there were patents regarding headstock design.. Sire though are real quality instruments and exceed their value for money ... as far as headstock the larry carlton l7 and h7 are nicer ...the s7 though is the same of the basses unfortunately ahaha
@@giovannibonapace4250 I think it might be more bearable if it just said Sire on the headstock. I’ve nothing against Marcus Miller but I don’t need his name on my bass. Lol
Damn was not expecting the clean shaven look, adds a lot of high end clarity.
@ $85 dollars more for the Sire you get; rolled neck edges, a harder, less subject to dents & dings, alder body, a more stable roasted maple neck, a higher grade of tuner and last an arguably better set of pickups. I know where my money would go if I didn't already have a Fender MIM Jazz & a Sire M7 among my current collection.
I own two Squiers, a Jazz and a PJ, and one Sire V5. The Sire is my favorite! Planning to buy a Sire P5R very soon! Thanks!
What we can’t get from your post is the feel of the instrument. Come on Lobsta you got fix this. 😊
Having tried both, Sire all the way.
Thanks for another interesting post. 🎉
Honestly, I thought the difference would be bigger, but overall the Sire has a slightly fuller tone while the Squier sounds a bit "tinny" in comparison. It was evident mainly while slapping. I'd take the Sire please :-)
I agree with you, ill buy Sire
Who started Sire guitars?
founder Kyle Kim, and they are made in Indonesia.
Did you know: Sire founder Kyle Kim started building his own instruments with friends in the '90s when they grew frustrated with rising prices. When these instruments turned out better than expected, Kim started exploring the global market.When did sire guitars start?
Sire was started by a group of friends in Korea in the late '90s. They had grown frustrated with rising instrument prices, so they decided to make their own. They worked extremely hard until they were happy with the result - and in fact, it all turned out better than expected.
He goes by Khyle now ;). Awesome dude and total sweetheart. He started Dame Guitars in Korea before starting Sire as a global/USA brand.
Thank you Lobster!
Alder and poplar are both basically firewood. Good sounding firewood usually, but too much can be made of the difference. Usually by people who think they can tell the difference between Duracell and Energiser batteries in their pedals.
I have a 60's CV Jazz and I love it. Daphne blue with a tort guard, it's a beauty. Btw, I would love to see you review some more Schecter basses, like the J-4 or the Stiletto Studio line
Hoping to check out more Schecter in the future!
Yes, and this unique "one-does-it-all" CV-4 too, please!
Great comparison! Thank you!
Excellent shootout! To me, the differences in sound is quite marginal for fingerstyle and with a pick, but still it feels like the Sire has a more balanced and nuanced tone, while the Squier has a bit more open and clear tone, but not the same punch and bite. When slapped, I feel that those differencies become more evident and I clearly prefer the sound of the SIre.
Thanks! 😎
I have a pretty trained ear and I really don't hear too much of a difference. The difference could just be all in the pickups. It's like trying to tell two pieces of pastrami apart. Thanks for the upload, Lobster!
What speakers do you use? I hear much deeper lows and overall clarity on Sire. But I can imagine it's not audible on some speakers / headphones, I think you'd hear difference on that Ampeg amp :) But overall I agree the tone character is similar.
Easy win for Sire. More usable features with a quality brightness in tone.
Sire V5 is just the king.
I will contend the Sire sounded a tad better but I think a little amp adjustment could rectify the minor difference. This never seems to get addressed.
I thought exactly the same thing. For the CV, adding some more gain plus high mids and may be a "trace" of more highs at the amp and the sound should be the same.
Maybe the amp could be adjusted, yes, but to adjust the amp to the sound of the basses compromises the “this is how each bass sounds compared to each other through the same signal chain” video approach for all Lobster’s videos that is so valuable.
If he was specifically demoing the AMP, your approach of making basses sound “the same” has some merit in demonstrating the flexibility of that amp’s eq section.
Exactly. My goal isn't to make every bass sound great, but to test them in a static environment so we can evaluate the merits of the instrument itself. Level playing field!
Whether live or in the studio, it’s always best to have a bass that sounds great straight into a D.I. Then straight to the board, because those circumstances do occur.
True but we didn`t hear them that way.@@prestachuck2867
Another plus about Sire: If you ever want to play without the pick guard on, it doesn’t have all the routed out channels and the horrible C&C “ashtray” gouged out of the body like most Squires do.
I’m glad you did this I’ve been trying not to buy a J bass, been looking at all kinds of options including these, also with the sire I love the string through option, but I love the vintage squire,
I have a different Sire at the moment, but I just ordered the V5. Fantastic at the price point.
With the Sire, for $85 more, you get alder body, real bone nut and 3 string tree.
AND a roasted neck and finger board with rounded edges. It's not even close.
Exactly. You'd spend more than $85 updating what you could and still not beat stock specs on the Sire. The rolled edges make stuck a HUGE difference in playability and comfort.
ok I was wrong about nut, this Squier model has bone nut
Hi lobster, I dig all your reviews absolutely! I would be very interested to watch sometimes reviews on some "less well known"/"underrated" brands like Dean, Godin (please have a look on the specs of the new RG-4 Ultra Carbon White RN....), Schecter (the CV-4 !), ESP, Cort etc. Even Yamaha could be put in this category (yeah, I watched Johnny Dibble's vid on the "underrated" basses !).
I prefer the Sire. Better Value and "Bang-for-the-Buck" - You always do a fair and thorough comparison.
Sire is easily a better instrument overall but as an owner of 2 CV basses (jazz and p) I can honestly say that these basses have... well, a certain vibe. Both had some neck issues, but after some time it seems that the wood dried a bit and they became more stabile. Squier quality control definatley has taken a dive in recent years, but it's still good value for money. Great review as always, Lobster :)
Sire basses have issues mainly neck issues! Had two v9 basses both had the same problem. I 've even seen other used sires with the same issues,that was about four years ago i hope they got their shit together! And oh Both had problems with staying in tune.
I seriously considered buying a Sire a few years ago, and to honest I couldn’t get past the headstock. Every time I see one it reminds me of Bullwinkle the Moose. 😂 But I foolishly sold my MIM Fender Jazz Bass about four years ago, and have been wanting to replace it recently.
I’ve played some Player series instruments that are just perfect, but in my opinion the recent price increases have rendered them as just too expensive for what you get.
The Sire headstock has begun to grow on me a little since I’ve been seeing more of them in the wild recently. Even Marcus himself has been performing with them!
Besides, who doesn’t love Bullwinkle?
UPDATE: six months down the road, I now own a fretless V7. I installed some lightweight Gotoh tuners, copper foil shielded it, and it's great!
Dudley Doright and get a sire ;P
Damn mate, I can never unsee that image of Bullwinkle on tag bass.😂
Both sound good and honestly I could not hear a difference when pickups were soloed. Finger style with both pickups on is the only time I liked the tone of the Sire more than the Squire but when slapped in the same setting I liked the Squire better. The Sire pickups seem to be a little hotter than the Squire making for more mids and too much string noise when slapped. I feel if I had to pick one I would probably go Sire though. Just seems a little more premium and modernized over the same old fender who are scared to change.
The Sire V5 has a nicer 70's sound IMO
Neck pup slightly more oomph on the Sire but as other posters commented, this could be nullified by amp setting, I think it's down to the individual bass in your hands.
Biggest concern here seems to be the instability of the neck. The sire sounded fuller, but pickups can be replaced. An unstable neck, however , is a much bigger problem.
Very true, especially if you're taking it from place to place. that's a characteristic that's always at the top of my list when buying a bass!
I just started playing the bass and I bought a Squire 40th Anniversary P Bass in March of this year. Although it is in my climate controlled “studio”, already I have had to adjust the neck three times. Great sounding bass but I don’t want to be constantly adjusting the neck.😢
Hands down...the Squier sounded better in every aspect, in every pickup variation. The Squier to me, just more clean, tighter, punchier with a more noticeable output. I would take the Squier...in a hot second! Just saying 🤷🏽♂️
At 10:04 where the slapping demo begins, for me the Sire is just a joy to listen to, with that growly throaty tone, and the Squier is really ho hum. I think the Sire's depth of tone exceeds the Squier in almost every aspect of the demo. There are places where I'd have turned the Squier volume (or amp volume) up slightly to equalize the signals. (Any slightly louder signal will sound "better", so a lower-output pickup or relatively lower pickup height adjustment may not be competitive.)
Incidentally, the most awesome feeling bass I have is the Sire P5. The neck is very large in comparison to other basses, wider, but it is so smooth it's amazing. The roasted neck is a stunningly beautiful thing! I do love playing my Squier CV 70's P Bass, no issues whatsoever with build quality and stability. But... I did have the Plek treatment done to the new CV bass, so I am experiencing a non-stock version in that regard. The Sire, from the box, is lovely without any special treatment.
Yep _ I bought the Sire V5 Fretless _ Love to know how you modified yours _ did you do a video _ Thanks
I think the Squier is easier when it comes to modding especially when it comes to the bridge and tuners and the price difference mean that's 85 bucks you can use on something else
for $85 less, you get the Fender headstock
On a less stable neck at that.
Have squier late50s p, 60s j and 70s j CV basses, none has abnormal problems on the neck, wood moves in time and it's normal, only big problem I had was a broken tuner on the 70s, that was really disappointing at zero hour usage. F
@@TheMlvswollMine is fine. I did make a setup. If it may have slightly changed then to the better. There action is very good. I considered changing the pickups but the measurement told me that standard Fender sized ones do not fit as there is 1 mm less space than needed. Routing is currently no option for me-
Fantastic video as always!!
Both are great basses, both sound great in a live setting. I really think it’s the players preference. I think they should have called the Sire a V4 it’s kinda miss leading with the V5
There’s. Only one thing missing…….oh yeah….The Beard 😎
Thanks brother for your video review as always!!!
I like your videos a lot and always enjoy it when a new one pops up. One thing that never seems to get mentioned on these shootout videos is if both basses have the same strings. To make it fair, they both should. These obviously both had roundwounds on them, but nickel?? Stainless steel?? Who knows? And what brand? Not all brands of strings are created equal. Two different brands on these strings might have accounted for the slight differences in tone. Or the same brand on both could make the tone differences even more noticeable. Just a thought...
They're the same strings. I have the string type listed in the video description :)
@@LowEndLobster sorry I overlooked that. Thanks for the reply and for the videos
Interesting comparison. I agree with you that perhaps the Squier has more of a vintage sound. Certainly to my ears, the pickups sound 'warmer'. I own a V5 and I'm going to change the pickups for something more vintage-sounding. I think the Sire stock pickups are great but when you hear them alongside the Squier - well, it's a subjective thing. I suppose that's the nature of the 'Marcus Miller/Sire' beast. Obviously, the MM sound is 'active' but personally, I would've liked Sire to have included a set of pickups reflecting the more vintage nature of their V5 but nonetheless, I'm still very much a fan of the V5 - a great platform for modding. Thanks for the review LowEndLobster.
I agree with you, to my ears the sire sounds fuller and punchier than the squier. But still sounds pretty vintage.
Thank you for this great comparison. ;-)
The squire had that (warm/nasal ?) Fender sound I like. The V5 sounds great, but different.
Diggin the Sire
To my ears, the Squire sounds a bit more like an actual Fender 70's Jazz Bass. Mind you the type of music I've always listened to has been played either fingerstyle or with a pick such as John Paul Jones. Both basses sound great!! I have tried both basses at GC and the Sire by far is more comfortable. Hands down LowEnd Lobster's bass guitar reviews are the best I have come across. He has the ability to give highly informative reviews I usually only get with Intellectual types yet makes them enjoyable to watch. A good combination of a high IQ and equally high EQ.
Have you ever played a PRS Kestrel or Kingfisher bass? Would love to see you demo one or both of those. Very cool basses, IMO.
My Squire CV 70's jazz bass (bought about three years ago) has a bone nut and the specs at the Fender site still has this bass listed as having a bone nut.
Oops! I think i flubbed. I'll take that bit out
The Sire had more ‘bloom’ ….. the note developed. The Squier was very one dimensional. I shall now go and sniff some corks.
Better sounding
pickups on Squier imo. Better construction on Sire though :)
I'd like to see the V5 compared to the equivalent Player series j-bass.
Def going to get around to that. I have a Player Plus jazz that we'll be comparing to the V8 and revised Sadowsky Metro Express :)
The v5 is like a player series with more mids, and a more comfortable neck without fret sprouts. Just an overview.
@@TheMlvswoll i think this:
Sire V5 or P5 >>>>>>> Squier Vibe
Sire V5 or P5 >>>>>>> Player Series
Sire V5 or P5 ======= Player Plus
But Player Plus ($1200) !!
Sire Wins Totally
@@TheMlvswoll It's mainly because Sire V5 has a 70's pickups spacing.
Unfortunately, there is no equivalent in the Player series. Fender's cheapest 70's style Jazz Bass on the market right now is a MIM Geddy Lee bass. There is also the Vintera 70's model. However, those basses come with a Pau Ferro fingerboard only.
Sire wins. More bass in the tone. The Squire was a bit thin. I love Sire, I have a bunch. Great gig basses. And if something bad happens to it it’s not crazy expensive to replace or fix
exactly!
The Squier is a great value workhorse bass, and with nut upgrade to real bone will be equal to Sire.
The Sire rolled fretboard edges make a huge difference in feel between it and the Squier. I compared several models of both and nothing beat the comfort of the Sire. But I came from guitar, so it was a huge selling point for me.
I was waiting for this comment. I have a v5R and a Jazz Standard. I love both but I’ve only adjusted the sire neck with initial setup and the comfort once you play it a bit is pretty damn nice. I won’t say the whole for the price bit as it’s just a plain good bass that’s feels great to play at any price. May go the gotoh route with tuners but other than that she’s sweet. I too have owned some recent cv with neck issues. I love the daphne blue but might have addressed that urge with my new MIJ Maui blue Pbass.
Ill be real, your claw / like schtick works on me every time 😂 thanks for this!!! That sire will likely be mine at some point
Meatwad makin money seeeeee. Thank you!
@@LowEndLobster ice on my fingers, on my toes, and on my.. Modulus?
I'll likely be buying one of these in the next 3 months. Well, maybe an AIO jazz bass.
Biggest tone difference was with the main use case - both pickups. Either pup solo'd sounded surprisingly similar to me. The neck shift is a significant difference, as is the OPE (overall playing experience) rating. For my money it's the Sire. Great combination of modern updates and traditional soul.
Does it make sense to conceptualize the roasted neck as being better dried out in the roasting process, and maybe the Squier neck has greener wood? I would be curious as to how different manufacturers deal with curing their wood before manufacturing. I recently got a different bass with a roasted neck and the neck has stayed relatively straight despite severe environmental changes where I am.
I think the roasting trend is addressing the issue that these Squires have. I think the wood they're using is too young, and doesn't have the stability unless you roast and get all the moisture out
Interesting. I'd love to see a time-lapse video of a new roasted and a a new unroasted neck side by side, truss rod completely disengaged. See what happens. Science! @@LowEndLobster
Where did sire come from?
sire (n.) c. 1200, a title placed before a name and denoting knighthood, from Old French sire "lord (appellation), sire, my lord," from Vulgar Latin *seior, from Latin senior "older, elder" (from PIE root *sen- "old").
It's funny that you mention that. Khyle Kim, the founder of Sire, had another brand that was exclusive to Korea called "Dame" which is still around. Similar to Sire in many ways but they also use some boutique components. Neat stuff
He also got Marcus Miller to put his name on the bass that caused lots of interest and excitement in the bass community. I bought one and am trying to buy a U5 but long backordered
The difference in materials alone (alder, roasted maple, bone nut) more than justifies the $85 price difference.
Soundwise, with tone fully closed there is no noticeable difference between the two.
With the tone fully open, Sire obviously has somewhat "richer" sound and higher output.
Would have liked to have seen the Cort GB64JJ in this showdown. Other than the aesthetics, I think it competes with these two models
I think for that price you could probably get a mexican fender on sale if you're lucky I got like 40% off on my player jazz last year during holiday season, put a hipshot badass on it wanna do lightweight tuners and drop d switch eventually and find a preamp for it
I don’t get the hate for Squier I’ve got the 70s and I think it’s great.. it also looks waaaay better .. my other guitars are high end and it keeps up.
Sire sounds like a premium instrument in comparison to Squier. I'd replace the Sire pickups for EMG J set to get even more 3D sound.
Check Anthony Vitti's Sire Bass Pickups vs EMG's: th-cam.com/video/rdgHsyAIBGk/w-d-xo.html
I low key wish he put the EMG jack in the stock position and setup a separate tone control or something lol. I know he's not a weirdo modder like me so not throwing any shade.
@@LowEndLobster I've got to say that I wasn't convinced about the EMG J set until I listened to Anthony's recording. I think I will install the Robert Trujillo's EMG in one of my Jazz Basses. Those are the same pickups as EMG J set but with metal "edge-less" pickup covers :D
The Sire seemed to have more output, and what I can only describe as a broader depth of tone than the Squier. Maybe that’s down to the Alder body of the Sire?
Will be the Marcus pickups, they're quality and a big step up from Gen1 Sires (which were still good).
Oh yeah! Hang on, gotta get popcorn..
The Fender came across as generally weaker in energy and tone than the Sire. I would immediately change pickups and tuning machines on the Fender.
Sire V5 all day and I'm not saying that because I own a V5R. They are great instruments which present a lot of value for the money.
I think, the Sire lacks a bit of mid-freq (I dont know which of them). It's obvious when the tone is rolled off and you compare with the Squier or the Sire with Rosewood fretboard in the older comparison video. The Sire Its a super-beautiful instrument, but its pickups and/or electronics are like pre-eq for a good slap sound when tone is open. You touch the tone control and get too dark. In my opinion, of course.
Any chance to compare a sire v5 with fender jazz player series??? I really want buy one of those
Lobster, please review Vintage (brand) Icon Jazz Bass
Where ya at, man?
Sire eight days a week !👍👏😀
At this point, it's just personal preference. Some will prefer the Sire and some will prefer the Squire. There's no objectively better sounding bass.
Neither bass is bad, but the sire is plainly better sounding with a little more bottom end, most likely due to the alder vs poplar.
One thing I don't understand...
Why is the Sire called a V-5 when it is a 4 string?
It should be called the V-4.
You are quite the commenter today my friend haha
Because Sire makes 4 and 5 strings of every single bass model. The number is basically the spec tier. V3, V5, V7, V8; M2, M5, M7, P5, P7, etc...
Dumb question (maybe): What do you mean by the neck kept moving?
Basically the wood wasn't stable and required truss rod adjustments very often to maintain the setup
Squier seems quiet in the deep bass, where the Sire is really full there. Other than that, I doubt I’d be able to hear the difference between the two.
I woke up wanting a 70’s-spacing Jazz Bass today. How coincidental. 😉
Why is your hand a Lobster claw?
How does it magically turn into a regular hand?
He pissed off a witch when he was younger, and was cursed to forever have a lobster claw, except when he plays bass
Sire sounds and looks a bit more "modern", while Squier is on the "vintage" side. Love them both.
Sire bridge pickup is killing the Squier IMO, even without the preamp they deliver the goods. Sounds like the Squier isn't fully rolling off treble with tone all the way back as well.
Is that the Squier CV Jazz Bass that needs a truss rod adjustment every time you play it?
Yup @14:20 huge deal-breaker for me
Boy there's only a nickels worth of difference. To my ears the Sire sounded a little sharper and cleaner the Squier just a little more muddy. Probably a good EQ pedal would change that. I would go for which one looks best.........SIRE
Hi Lobster, thanks for another great video. In my opinion the Sire is much better than the Squier. The price difference is worth it. Think about it, do you want to play a bad but cheaper bass, or a really good instrument that's a little bit expensive? I think Sire is sometimes much better than Mexican Fender. I am disappointed with the sound of the Squier. Shame on Fender. By the way, I own both a Squier and a Sire, and I can truly confirm that the Sire sounds absolutely great.
WowIf only the Sire Looked more like the Squire & said Squire on the Head✌🏼😁🤳
I can't hear much difference between them. Even through a decent sound system.
They both sound like jazz basses.
It's not a sound that I'm particularly found of, so some there may be some bias at play here.
Squire for me folks. Comparing it to the sire is like comparing a conversation with two different friends, The Sire sounds a bit more garrish, loud, brash and a bit too bright. On the other hand the Squire is a more subdued but intimate sound, like if Barry White were to whisper some trade secrets to you in a semi crowded room - you'd have to lean in a little to hear him but his voice would draw you in and be well worth it. JMHO.
Some b roll of the headstocks would have been helpful while you were describing them.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Squier
I like more the open, raw sound of the Squire.
It would be better if you showed the headstocks when you’re talking about them
Yeaaaaaah I was gonna put the b roll in there but editing remotely suckkkksssss (I'm on vacation)
The headstock thing with sire is overstated. I agree the Fender looks better but after a few plays I don’t even notice the headstock anymore, I just play it.
Bought a Sire V5 … roasted maple neck cracked out of the blue…
Bought a Squire … no issues ….
All these reviews are subjective, most people buy their favourite brand and knock anybody who buys something different. You can watch all the you videos you like but, it's not until it's actually in your hands that you know for sure. Too many variables, did you get a Friday afternoon Squier, a Monday morning Sire or vice versa. Brand bias is a valuable marketing tool. I would suggest getting your hands on them and giving each one a go. I personally watch some reviews but, sorry lobster, Darrel Braun guitars does the deep dive. Still wouldn't necessarily buy on his opinion but, we all have our favourites!
Sire has more bottom end "balls" Fender has a good mid but no sack. I sent 2 jazz basses back in one month last April, turned 50 and "spoiled" myself. A Geddy Lee MIM and a Jazz Top MIM...both garbage, I damn near cried when I pulled the GL bass out of the box, so disappointed. The Sire is a helluva bass, Fender needs to up their QC. I'll be hemming and hawing between the V5 and the Stingray 34. Decisions, decisions.
I hope Sire V8. Soon……..👍🙏🙏🙏😀
SIRE
Who took over this channel and when did the bearded guy quit!?
No beard!!! Looks great, either way...but, wow...no beard! Oh, and, great shootout!
neck prob is a no brainer
Is the sire mom or dad?
A sire is an animal's father. A newborn foal might look very much like his sire, with a white stripe on his brown face. Every once in a while, the word sire is used for a human - your dad is your sire - but it's much more common to find this word describing an animal's male parent.
32 seconds in 0:46 I bet the Squire get slaughtered. 🦞doesn’t like squire or fender 🤷🏼♂️
Funk riff in Key of Concert A.
I find a dif only when open on 100% , the sire sounds fatter
The headstock on the Sire is awful.
I agree ... that's the only downside ... i own 3 v7 and 1 v10...
Maybe there were patents regarding headstock design.. Sire though are real quality instruments and exceed their value for money ... as far as headstock the larry carlton l7 and h7 are nicer ...the s7 though is the same of the basses unfortunately ahaha
@@giovannibonapace4250 I think it might be more bearable if it just said Sire on the headstock. I’ve nothing against Marcus Miller but I don’t need his name on my bass. Lol
Sire sounds better IMO
the sire v 5 , is litlle bit better
$85 more for sire not worth it
Really bro? That's as ridiculous as the rascal and Epiphone bass